Trickery of a Gerudo
by oostitchesoo
Summary: Prolouge - The Gerudo King travels into the desert to start his ritual to accept the Sand Goddess' blessing and finds something much more sinister lurking. Story - The tale of the Hero of Time once returned to live out his childhood. War is brewing, but can Link save Hyrule?
1. Chapter 1

The oasis lay beyond the sand dunes, a few miles to the west, but the consequence of his debility would forever be written in history. The longevity of the Gerudo tribe was always acclaimed by the strength of their king. He was destined to be their king, and one moment of weakness could ruin a resilient people. This was his destiny, and there was no prolonging it. With newfound confidence, the solitary figure rose to his feet and continued his journey through the seemingly everlasting desert.

This was a passage so unique to a Gerudo that there was no guidance, no set convention for the ritual itself. This is why Ganondorf despaired. From an early age, he knew the trial into the desert was inevitable, and he embraced the idea of the challenge up to the moment where he was stripped of his royal garb and thrust into the desert with only a scimitar. Custom dictated that the lone king, the only male born to the tribe, would voyage deep into their precious desert (cruelly dubbed a wasteland by neighboring tribes) and receive the blessing from the Sand Goddess. Being a time of great suffering and political tension from Hyrule, the tribe was in a state of great trepidation, and so fell a great pressure for their king to succeed.

How the heat beckoned defeat. It rained on him, mercilessly stinging his bare back and scorching his feet that treaded through the sand. As he breathed, it felt as if fire were filling his lungs and baking him inwardly. The ritual stated that the king would not drink or eat until the blessing was received, but how he wished otherwise. Even if he wanted to cave to his weakness, the desert yielded little for him to betray his integrity upon. He trudged on, vaguely aware of his direction as his thoughts wandered.

He was a king bestowed with a great burden. The war was finished, his people defeated, and now the kingdom of Hyrule would force his people to bow to their way and their customs. A nation that stood on their tier of greed and ruthlessness, unafraid to sweep aside anyone or anything that refused to yield to them. They were weak because they were chosen by the ancient goddesses, because they lived on the sacred realm; that sanctified their land and made it beautiful. In Hyrule, the air was sweet, the ground was fertile, and the water was plentiful, yet they desired to expand their reach of political power and gain with little resolve that they held enough treasure and prosperity.

It sickened Ganondorf that a king would want to unify cultures he did not know for the sake of his own personal wellbeing. His people knew suffering. Their land was unpitying but glorious. The heat of the day was agonizing, and the nights were frigid and even more grueling. Food and water were scarce but it produced a strong tribe. Their magic was rivaled only by the Sheikah perhaps. Their power was not without suffering, and this was why Ganondorf would never concede to such a pretentious kingdom.

As the sun set, and the air cooled the sweat on his dark skin to a dreary chill, Ganondorf met the night of the desert's piercing gale with resolve that he would not fail his people. His strength through this ritual would be profound, unlike any king before him. The Sand Goddess will bestow her blessing, and he would lead his people against Hyrule's enforcement to unify the kingdoms under one domain.

Hunger became the new antagonist as the sun rose and blazing heat met his darkened skin. All resolve melted away gradually as he trudged on, through sand and rock. His back burned his feet ached, so when a cool wind rushed forth, he accepted it gratefully; however, logic surfaced shortly and he knew what was coming. A sandstorm.

"No!" He gasped hoarsely, as the gale came again, with a low moaning. Sand ripped at his burnt skin. His mind raced in anguish at the prospect of surviving a sand storm with no protection. Weakened by hunger, and numbed by the sun, his chances dwindled, but to his surprise, a mound emerged right across the horizon, to which he sprinted to, using the last of his strength. It was a sacred temple, built by the ancient Gerudo. Begging for permission from the Sand Goddess, he stole away through the entrance, only to fall into a pit with a sickening crunch. His health deteriorating rapidly, he barely felt the break of his bone, and fainted.

When he came to, Ganondorf's thought was delirious. The pit was moist and cold as the gale raged above, but a dull throb came from his leg. Surely he would die, from infection, if not hunger first. Perhaps of dehydration. It was then that he lamented at the thought of his people facing Hyrule without his guidance. It was the assuredly the end of his tribe.

"That hatred is delectable, I pledge that."

Ganondorf lifted his head weakly, unaware that his cavern was accompanied by another. The skin on his neck rose at the nasty voice. Whoever awaited him in the dark was not of the conventional world. He gasped into the blackness. "Are you of assistance from the Goddess?"

"That I am," the putrid voice responded. "Sent by the Goddess to assist you, to give you strength beyond any man's measure, and to lead your tribe into victory against this unwanted dominion."

"Do you have a name?" He whispered, feeling fear trickle through him like water.

The voice seemed to hesitate before speaking. "I have many names. Vengeance, Revenge, Animosity, Unrivaled. For you, I will be named Demise for we will conquer the blessed land of Hyrule, but only together can we do it. The Goddess has seen your turmoil and wishes for me to assist."

His insides struggled. "Why is the Goddess not presented before me!"

"You fool! How dare you insinuate the great Goddess of Sand must belittle herself so with your presence! What blasphemy!"

"You misunderstand," Ganondorf replied immediately but more dimly than before. "I do not wish for the demise of the innocent."

The voice cackled, chilling the Gerudo more. "How innocent shall be Hyrule, a country soaked in your children's blood from the war? Is it not your destiny to accept me, Demise? A man born of women every century shall be bestowed blessing from the Goddess of this magnificent desert. Here I am, your salvation, your freedom. I am your destiny should you accept me."

Ganondorf found no words. His body was concluding its short lived life. For a moment, he felt pleasant and lifted. If death was so kind, he had never known kindness before. But as he faded, his thoughts of his people perishing at the hands of a dictation gave him a seething sense of rage that refused death and allowed desperation.

"Bestow upon me Demise!" He exclaimed, before everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun broke through the openings of the clouds and rained down the land of Hyrule. Anyone with time would stop and gaze at the scenery before them, but Link was neck deep in chores that all needed to be finished before sun down. His back started to ache slightly, as he slung another bale of hay down, but what was another bale compared to bringing down the Demon King? His mouth thinned, sweat glistening his face and his arms as he finished the last of the hay, and without a second of hesitation, he stood up and grabbed a bucket full of water that would go to the sow. Unnoticed by Link, a red haired female watched from afar.

This marked another year of solid work from Lon Lon Ranch. This was another year from that day a boy garbed in green broke into the castle to warn the Princess of Ganondorf, the traitor to the uniting kingdom. His noble deed was only quietly celebrated within the inner circle of the kingdom and merely a rumor amongst the peasants, and it was quickly short lived. He had taken the Ocarina of Time, as requested by Zelda, and removed it from Hyrule to protect the Sacred Realm, but when he returned to his beloved country, he realized that he was utterly alone. No longer a Kokiri, he could not stay within the forest, and though he had prevented the oblivion of his people, it would have been presumptuous to ask the royal family for assistance. He had returned to a land where his actions would never be eminent, and he would be forgotten, and like most peasants, he found work as soon as he could. Lon Lon Ranch gratefully allowed him food and lodging and pay in exchange for his work with the horses and chores around the ranch. It was there, the hero settled down.

As he poured the water into a nearby trough, the red head approached him from the side. Her eyes were full of concern. "Father is upset having to lose a horse so suddenly."

"Ingo was in charge of checking the field for holes." Link replied simply, looking at the field ahead, as if surveying it.

"He's still upset," said Malon determined to get a considerate amount of conversation from the tall figure before her.

Link wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, not quite seeing the discussion from Malon's perspective. "There really isn't much done for a horse with a broken leg, I'm sorry."

"Perhaps I better check the fields for now," Malon replied finally, trying to alleviate the situation to a lesser degree. She smiled her famous, charming smile at him. A smile that Link only partially returned. She frowned, wishing for a moment that Link was different than other men and could see that she was only trying to fetch his attention. If only she could speak her mind.

"You should clean up, Link." She said instead, handing him a towel she had been carrying. "Dinner is almost ready, and you know how Ingo and Father are impatient about food."

"They're always hungry," Link replied with a light life, beginning to feel more like his old cheerful self again. That was an effect of Malon; she always brought out the best of any situation, and she never failed to revive Link, even if the moment was diminutive. She could always sense his despair and hid her upmost to constantly shroud him from it. There was always a presence of bliss that emitted from her, whether it was her smile or sparking eyes, or serene voice, she could always make Link smile with little struggle.

"Do not be late and disappoint me," she said, rubbing some dirt off from his face and walked off in the direction of the house, leaving Link to his thoughts before he turned and headed towards the bath house area as the hollow, empty feeling shortly returned to him.

As he bathed, he observed his skin that was completely unscarred from his former battles. His hands were still calloused but not from a sword, and his body was as lean and firm as ever, but for rigid manual labor on the ranch, not from his adventures. Everything seemed so surreal, so dissimilar that it left an empty pit inside of Link, intangible and constantly haunting. His long fingers felt outright at his stomach as if trying to reach for that desolation. He was no longer anyone of prominence, and he thought he would be tolerable to that destiny, but now he wondered if Zelda had made a mistake sending him back to his past.

He dumped a bucket of water on his head. Thinking of Zelda was too painful.

Late again, Link took a seat opposite of Talon, avoiding his daughter's ferocious glare from across the table. No one else took notice of it, as she ladled them out portions of stew, emphasizing her anger by making Link's the smallest amount. He frowned, but dare himself to remain silent. Malon's wrath was traumatic. "Some guards gave news in passion," Talon spoke, his cheeks bulging. "They said that the resistance started fires throughout the town."

"The guards probably set those fires just to stir up trouble," Ingo replied grumpily. "The resistance believes he's innocent, that's all. I've always said it was suspicious that they imprisoned him with barely any evidence."

Link took to his stew, having heard the conversation many times before.

"There was plenty of evidence," Malon said. "Even Nabooru confessed-"

"That was no confession!" Ingo cut in, his temper flaring. "Merely a suggestive quote of his 'misdeeds'."

"Whatever the reason," Talon said loudly, causing the two to falter in their argument. "the resistance is rapidly becoming a problem, and General Bronze has sent out a plea for enlistment for the Hyrule army."

At those words, everyone was focused on Talon, each expression was different.

"Why would we build an army unless we were preparing for a war?" Malon asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"This is an outrage!" Growled Ingo, his face in a high red color. "We just came out of a war. We have every right to protest the imprisonment of Ganondorf!"

"There's a difference between protesting and burning Hyrule town to ashes," Talon told him seriously.

Link decided to finally join the conversation, feeling as if Talon was holding out on information. "Did they have a reason for building the army?"

His face was impassive. "They finally decided to execute Ganondorf for treason."

The silence was almost tangible. A terrible, stagnated moment it was before Ingo stood and left the room, muttering to himself. Malon, however, was flushed in excitement.

"They should have done so years ago! Why are they finally deciding to do it now?"

"Maybe new evidence has become available." Talon replied with a shrug. "I only heard rumors mostly, but I have heard that it is to break the morale of the resistance."

"Wouldn't that sever the contract between the Gerudo and Hyrule?" She asked.

"The Gerudo are desperate for survival. The drought is slowly dwindling their population. I'm sure Nabooru is confident their king was guilty, so the contract will stay in place, unless they plan on dying out."

"What do you think, Link?" Malon asked, turning to him.

Link said nothing.

It was later in the night, as the crickets sang freely that Link thought of the conversation that had befallen at dinner. He lay, perched in the loft, with the hay, and stared out of the open skylight. The starts twinkled merrily at him as Ingo snored below, as if the trouble brewing was inane. Somewhere out in the fields, the sound of a faint, but beautiful voice sang out. He was in peace, yet his mind was in a state of turmoil at the state of affairs before him.

They had arrested Ganondorf at the improper moment, and now reservation surfaced strongly within the united kingdoms. Link had warned Zelda of consequences for acting too soon, but the information was relayed to the king and disregarded as childish nonsense. The king acted on paranoia alone and that was his mistake, for no substantial evidence meant hesitation from the other races, particularly after coming out of a civil war. The resistance would not stand by peaceful as their cause was executed, and building an army would threaten almost all the conviction of the others as well. It would also allow for spies to invade the army and relay information. Hyrule was most assuredly on the brink of another war; both civil and external.

"Link?" Came a soft whisper below the loft ladder. "Are you awake?"

He contemplated the idea of pretending to be asleep but eventually spoke, knowing it was impossible to avoid Malon. "I'm awake."

She appeared, carrying a slice of potato cake; a peace offering from being angry at dinner before. Link accepted it appreciatively. She was silent as he ate, but once he finished, she spoke.

"I know who you are, I can see right through your silence, Link."

"What?"

She smiled a soft smile, tucking her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them. "You never did answer me at dinner, but I can see that you're thinking hard and about to make a choice."

Another silence passed as Ingo coughed sleepily beneath them.

"I'm considering joining the army." Link said finally, deciding to be honest.

She wrinkled her freckled nose in disgust. "How can you join the army with no identification? You were starving from lack of work when you came here!"

"I have an inside connection."

"What if I say no?"

He looked at her and saw a face of exquisite sorrow. Her eyes were crystal clear in the moonlight, and for a moment, he considered taking his words back, assuring her that he loved her and that he would remain on the ranch for all times, but he couldn't bring himself to lie. He loved her, but not the way that she inexplicably felt for him.

"I know it's hard to understand, but my duty is to my kingdom." He said, reaching out and putting his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him away harshly.

"I want your secrets." She confessed suddenly, wiping at her eyes. "For the past five years, I've wished for you to desire mine, but you have never. You've returned my affection, but never my devotion."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't make me guilt you," She told him seriously, her eyes shining with wetness. "Ever since I was little, I dreamed of being swept away by a knight in shining armor, and when you came at sixteen….I was disappointed at first, but you saved me from this mundane farm life. There's a wonder about you, and I have fallen for it utterly and without question-"

"Malon…."

"Don't interrupt me," She said. "My soul knows you're destined for more, but I'm selfish. I want you for myself, but you don't belong to me. You belong to something much greater than I am."

The pain must have overcome Malon for she buried her head in her knees with a stifled sob. Link could only watch, full of shame. She was confessing her feelings and yet he had nothing to say.

"If you ever need me, I'll come." He said with some finality.

"Promise?"

"I do."

Then, he found her in his arms, her mouth pressed firmly against his, tasting the salty taste of her tears. He embraced her, wanting her tenderness and pain within the still of nighttime. Ingo coughed irritability beneath them, but neither paid any mind as they melted into each other as the thrushes commended them gently with their songs.


End file.
